Blast Off
by YellowBae
Summary: Jessie and James of Team Rocket are both in love with each other, but neither one of them knows. Tensions are growing very high between them, and Ash, Misty, Brock, and Meowth are all aware. Will the two sort out their problems and work together as a team? Or will they fall in love and run away together? Rocketshipping, Anime AU taking place during Indigo League
1. Chapter 1

**Yes, I know bulbapedia says they are 25, but this story makes them 18. Deal with it or spam me in the comments. I really don't care.**

* * *

I stared around. Headquarters was almost empty. Jessie was sitting next to Cassidy on the big couch, so I couldn't sit there. The only other person I know is Brendan, but he's snoozing in a chair. I sighed, slumping into the armchair closest to Jessie.

Yet my only female friend was still chatting with Cassidy. _As always._

Those two never stopped chatting. The only moments I could ever spend some time with her was when we were trying to catch that stupid Pikachu and the others.

 _But of course, Ash has to ruin our plans every time. I wish there was another way to get rid of the brats. I guess, to do that, I'd have to catch a new Pokémon. But Wheezing is too bad to do any actual damage without getting totally busted._

With a loud sigh, I rested both arms on one side of the chair, and set my head on my arms. _And Meowth is too stubborn._ Way _too stubborn. He would never let me use him to catch a new Pokémon to battle with._

I turned my slightly to the left to stare at Jessie. She didn't notice me. _Maybe there's a way to get rid of Cassidy, though. She's always getting in the way of me and Jessie._

It took me a while to realize that Jessie was looking at me expectantly. "Er, sorry, can you repeat that?" I asked, embarrassment flooding over me.

"Ugh! Boys never listen. I asked you why you were staring at me."

Flushing immediately, I trembled. "Was I staring? Sorry, I was just thinking. I stare when I think. Yep, that's it." I gave a fake smile and a thumbs up.

Jessie stuck her tongue out at me and gave me a thumbs down in response.

Defaintly I stuck my tongue right back out at her, crossed my arms, and turned away. _Even when I_ do _get_ _a chance to talk to her aside from our plans to capture Pokémon, she rejects me._

I drew my knees to my chest, laying my head down and trying not to groan. _Why can't I get over this crush?_

* * *

I opened my eyes with a yawn, stretching my arms and then climbing out of bed. Unfortunately headquarters didn't give us anything but counters, a coffee maker, couches, chairs, and a table, so I had to spend all of my salary on hotels. It was a good thing I found one that only costed thirty Pokédollars a night.

"I could stay here for three days and not have to pay a hundred!" I bounced on my bed, throwing my hands up. It was a thing I did. A lot.

I quickly got dressed and put a cloak over my outfit. I frowned when I realized there were no phones at the hotel. _Guess I'll have to call from the Pokémon Center._

It was a good thing the hotel was right across the road from it, too. Dialing Jessie's number, I picked up the phone and waited for a response.

Seeing Jessie's face appear onscreen, I had to force myself not to smile. Her stunning looks almost dazed me. The way her eyes sparkled, and her gorgeous hairdo. It was almost too much to handle. For today's mission she had curled it and now she had long, flowy curls down to the bottom of her white tank.

I noticed that she was holding lipstick, and the makeup was only half-applied. "Sorry to interrupt you, but where did you say to meet?"

"YOU IMBECILE!" she practically screamed into the phone. "I SAID TO MEET AT THE POKÉMON CENTER! WHERE YOU'RE CALLING ME FROM!"

"Oh." I chuckled nervously. "Sorry about that."

Jessie continued applying her makeup, and I watched her, wondering if she was going to say anything else or just hang up.

I pulled the phone away from my ear, then saw her making "no" gestures with her hand. Too lazy to reach my arm back up, I set the phone on speaker.

"Just keep it on, okay?" she said. "I need to tell you before I leave so you know when to expect me. Also, do you have your costume?" She whispered the last part.

I nodded and pulled the cloak off a bit, revealing the sparkling white dress underneath. Jessie smiled. "I knew you would. You just love dressing up like a girl, don't you?"

"Hey, I'm a good actor!"

Jessie giggled. "You really are, James. Anyways, I'll tell you when I head out, so you'd better be ready."

" _I_ should be ready?" I gave a smug grin. "Ash and his friends have no idea what they're in for."

* * *

I finished applying the last of my makeup, aware of James practically staring at me. "I'm going to head out," I told him, and, after he gave a nod, I hung up. Standing up, I grabbed my disguise and put it on over my Team Rocket outfit. I put my cloak on and then set out.

Once I arrived, I noticed a person in a cloak sitting in one of the chairs at the telephone, resting their head on their arms. I tapped the person lightly on the shoulder.

The cloaked figure turned. "Jessie! Hey! Didn't uh... Didn't see you there."

I rolled my eyes. "You were supposed to be ready at the door, not in here sulking like a depressed Slowpoke!"

James shoved his hand on my mouth. "Shh! People are listening," he reminded me. With a nod, I grabbed his hand and forced it away from my mouth.

"You could have tried a gentler approach for that."

James shrugged. "Sorry."

Aware of a few people looking at us weird, including Nurse Joy and some trainers waiting for their Pokémon, I added to him, "I think they already heard us. Thanks for making a big ruckus."

James groaned, slumping. I nudged his shoulder. "Your costume is showing!"

He quickly fumbled around under the cloak, and the white disappeared. I sighed, looking around to see some confused looks. I groaned. "Oh, James, you've got everyone in the Pokémon Center looking at us!"

"Heh-heh. Sorry, Jess."

"Anyway, where's Meowth? He's supposed to be here, too."

James shrugged. "Haven't seen him."

"Man, you two are blind." Both of us turned around. Meowth was approaching us.

"Meowth, where's your costume?" I seethed.

"You were supposed to be wearing it!" James added.

"Oh. Whoops. I guess I'll put it on, then." That's when I noticed he was wearing a backpack. He took it off, grabbing a dress and a makeup kit. James walked over and grabbed the makeup kit while I watched them. It was hard not to laugh at James applying makeup to his face and Meowth putting on a dress.

I took my cloak hood off and both boys stared at me, mouths wide and eyes sparkling. I glared at them. "GET BACK TO WORK!"

Now I was sure everyone in the Pokémon Center was staring at us. I noticed some people were looking at me in awe. Particularly the boys. I tried to ignore them and turned back to James and Meowth, who were both ready. "Quick James, let me do your hair. Where's your hat?"

James pulled a white fedora out of his cloak. I smiled. He was always prepared. Resisting the urge to blast out our motto, I said it in my head. Our motto was the best.

 _Prepare for trouble. And make it double. To protect the world from devestation, and to unite all peoples within our nation. To denounce the evils of truth and love. To extend our reach to the stars above. Jessie! James! Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light. Surrender now or prepare to fight._

Ash and his stupid team have no idea what they're in for. Free tickets to a private jet ride? Of course they'll buy it.

As I fixed James' hair, I made sure the style made him look like a female. He put his hat on and took off his cloak. "I am prepared to be a woman!"

"JAMES, YOU STUPID IDIOT! PUT THAT CLOAK BACK ON RIGHT NOW BEFORE ASH FINDS US!"

He squirmed around and grabbed the cloak, shoving it on. I crossed my arms.

"Well, now that you've seen mine, can I see yours?" he asked.

I grumbled, but took the cloak off. The Boss had given me a blue and white dress to wear along with a white fedora. The dress was different than James'. His was pure white and mine had blue highlights along with gray frills at the bottom, and a blue belt separating the tank from the skirt.

James, Meowth, and the other boys in the center obviously couldn't tear their eyes away. I knew I looked stunning. The Boss said it had cost him a fortune, but it would be enough to catch Brock's eye, which wasn't surprising.

I knew Brock had a soft spot for girls he thought were cute, and by the looks of everyone around me, it wasn't hard to tell how he would feel about me.

Once I put my cloak back on, James shook his head as if trying to clear it. "Should we head out?"

"Oh, most definitely. I know where the gang's headed."

* * *

I grabbed the Pokéball that belonged to my Weezing. I had tried time and again to catch a new Pokémon all day, but I had still failed. Throwing Weezing's Pokéball near the Dodrio, I yelled, "Weezing, go!"

The Dodrio screeched and scratched Weezing. "Weezing, tackle attack!"

The Pokémon did as told. "Quick! Smokescreen!"

The Dodrio swung its heads around, screeching. I smiled. "Pokéball, go!"

I held my breath as the Pokéball twitched, once. Twice. Three times, and... "I caught it! I caught another Pokémon! Weezing, you're the best!"

"Weezing."

Now I have three Pokémon. Jessie has two. Wait until she hears about this! "Oh, Jessie!" I called. She was on this mission with me. I heard a rustle in the bushes as I picked up the Pokéball.

"What is it, James? Why are you so off track today? And where's your costume?"

"I caught a Pokémon! And I took mine off until we're ready. Where's yours?" My teammate had her Team Rocket suit on instead of her fake outfit she was supposed to be wearing. The same goes for me.

"I did the same. Wait, did you say you caught a Pokémon?"

I tossed the Pokéball. Dodrio emerged.

Jessie gasped. "Wow! You're so lucky. I wish I had another Pokémon."

"So go catch one," I suggested.

She shrugged. "It won't be too hard with Lickitung. But I need to find the right Pokémon..."

Just then, I spotted a Kakuna clinging to a tree. "What about Kakuna? It evolves into Beedrill, which is a really good Pokémon."

Jessie nodded. "Pokéball, go!"

The Pokéball hovered as the Kakuna was transported in. It shook. One. Two. Three... And it stopped. Jessie picked it up.

"I have a Beedrill!" I smiled as Jessie danced around. After a while, I could no longer resist the urge. I grabbed her hand, dancing around with her.

"I have a Dodrio!" I shouted. Jessie smiled.

"We have new Pokémon! We have new Pokémon!" we cheered. Jessie let go of my hand, tilting her head to look at her Pokéball.

"I need this Kakuna to evolve. I challenge you to a Pokémon battle!"

* * *

"I challenge you to a Pokémon battle!"

Ash turned around quickly. That was Jessie's voice, from Team Rocket.

"Well, then, Jess, I accept. Anything to help us both get stronger."

And James, too.

"THIS BATTLE ISN'T TO HELP YOU. IT'S TO HELP ME! I NEED THIS POKÉMON TO EVOLE RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW!" And Jessie again.

"Did you guys hear that?" Misty asked.

Ash and Brock nodded. "I heard it," they said simultaneously.

"Should we check it out?" Ash asked.

"I've never seen Team Rocket battle _against_ each other before," Misty added.

"Then let's go," Brock suggested. And they set off, easily following the voices.

"Weezing, go!" James said, throwing a Pokéball. Ash watched as the purple Pokémon emerged.

"Kakuna, go!" Jessie threw a Pokéball, and out came the Pokémon.

"Jessie has a Kakuna now?" Misty asked. "That could be really bad when it evolves."

"Kakuna, use harden!"

"Weezing, use smokescreen!"

Ash turned to his friends. "Beedrill is a very dangerous Pokémon."

"Kakuna, use harden!"

"Weezing, use tackle attack!"

Team Rocket kept shouting different attacks, except Jessie only used harden. After a while, they were both slumped and panting, and Weezing looked tired.

"Look!" Brock exclaimed. The others turned and stared as Kakuna began to glow.

"Uh oh," Ash murmured. "She's got a Beedrill."

Brock frowned. "It'll only be harder to defeat them now. Pikachu may need some leveling up."

"I don't think Pikachu is even the least bit effective. Bug resists electric types," Ash lamented.

"Well, I could use Onyx. Rock is good against bug, right?"

Ash nodded. Misty wasn't listening, her eyes set on watching Team Rocket.

Beedrill emerged from Kakuna's shell. Jessie and James both gasped. "Wow! I didn't know it could just do that," James said.

"Me neither," Jessie responded. "Ha! I have a Beedrill! I have a Beedrill!" she chanted.

James called back Weezing and pulled out another Pokéball. "Dodrio, go!"

"He has a Dodrio now?" Misty whispered. The giant bird began pecking at the Beedrill.

"Beedrill, poison jab!" The Beedrill's stinger stabbed Dodrio, earning a screech from the bird.

"Dodrio, scratch it! Scratch it 'till it burns!"

It screeched again and leapt at the Beedrill, clawing it with its talons. Beedrill fainted.

"W-What?" Jessie's eyes were wide. "The Boss will be so disappointed! I can't believe you beat me!"

"Hey, just be glad we're on the same team."

Jessie nodded as she called back her Beedrill. James smiled. "Nice work, Dodrio. Come back now." He zapped the Pokémon back into its Pokéball, then turned to Jessie.

"Well, thanks for helping me evolve my Beedrill," the woman said.

"Thanks for helping my Dodrio level up."

Ash and Brock had started another conversation, but Misty was watching the team, debating whether to burst in or not. Jessie and James just stared at each other.

Misty tapped both of her friends on their shoulders. "Anyone else see the tension between those two?"

Ash stared closer. "Yeah."

"I definitely see it," Brock answered.

Everyone sat or stood in silence for a while, until finally Jessie spoke up. "We need to get back to our mission."

James nodded, and Jessie walked away. James crouched down, pulling out a Pokéball. He stared at it, only making Ash more curious. "Oh, Weezing, what am I going to do?"

"James!"

"Coming!" The Team Rocket member raced away.

Ash, Misty, and Brock all exchanged a glance. "What was that?" Misty asked.

"I have no idea," Ash said, "But I'm going to find out."


	2. Chapter 2

"Pika! Pi!"

"We're here! We're in Neon City!"

Ash and his friends have just arrived in a huge civilization called Neon City. Lights were everywhere. Horns honked and beeped. People shouted. "What's with this place?" Ash murmured.

"I hear this place is open twenty-four hours," Brock mused.

Misty bumped into someone. "Ow! Hey! Watch where you're going!"

The person clenched his fists. "You're the one that bumped into me!"

Misty dodged a punch from him and raced to catch up with the others, now angry. "Twenty-four hours? That must be why they're so grumpy." The person was seen shaking his fist at her before stomping away.

Suddenly, Brock gasped. "She's gorgeous..."

Ash and Misty turned to see two women in white dresses, one with blue highlights and the other just simply white. They were both wearing fedoras that matched their dresses.

Brock rushed over to the one with blue on her dress. "Hi! My name's Brock. Do you need anything? I can get it for you!"

"Oh, calm down," the woman said. Then she squinted. "Ooh. What a handsome fellow you are."

Brock looked like he was about to faint. A beautiful woman just called him handsome! "Thanks."

"What would your name be?"

"I'm Brock. What's yours?"

"I'm Sarah."

"That's a pretty name."

"Why, thank you."

Ash and Misty grumbled, standing off to the side, waiting for Brock to get rejected.

"Say, you wouldn't like to go for dinner sometime, would you?"

"Well, I'm free tonight, tomorrow night, and the night after that, but Thursay and Friday are taken."

"I'm free tonight!" Brock beamed. His friends groaned. Ash had his eye on the woman's companion.

She had turned to Sarah. "How come you always get the guys?"

Sarah shrugged. "No idea, sis."

The other woman crossed her arms with a "Hmph!" Then she turned to Brock. "Oh, hey, you, sir."

"Huh?"

"We were meaning to give out these tickets to a private jet ride," she explained. "It'll take you anywhere you want to go. We've got three, but we don't want to use them. We've been looking for someone to give them to, but nobody's wanted them. I guess everyone in Neon City is perfectly happy living here."

"Really? We'll take them!" Brock gasped. With a smile, the woman gave the tickets to Brock.

"Thank you kindly," Sarah said. "It's such a burden carrying these around. I'll see you tonight. Let's meet here, okay?"

Brock's eyes sparkled. "Anything for you, Sarah."

Ash and Misty groaned. Ash grabbed Brock's wrist and pulled him away from the two women. "Let's get out of here before Brock faints."

* * *

Once the twerps had left, I visibly gagged. "Blech! I can't believe I have to take Brock on a date!"

James laughed. "At least you did what The Boss asked. That's good."

Not finding humor in his words, I smacked him across the face. "Shut up. Just shut up!"

 _Later that evening..._

I fought back a groan as Brock appeared. "Where would you like to go?" I asked.

"Wherever you want is fine."

I faked a giggle. "I guess that pizza and buffet place would be nice."

Brock smiled. "No way! I love pizza buffets!"

We walked together to the buffet, and I tried to pretend not to notice Brock reaching for my hand.

"So, what do you do for a living?" he asked.

"I work for Nurse Joy in this town," I lied.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm her assistant. It just kills me to see injured Pokémon."

Truthfully, the only injured Pokémon I would care about were Arbock, Beedrill, Weezing, or Dodrio. Mainly because they're the only Pokémon I actually know or care about.

"Me too! I want to become a world famous Pokémon breeder."

"That sounds nice."

"Maybe I could work with you and Nurse Joy!"

"I'll have to ask her about it."

I'm a better liar than I give myself credit for. I used to think I was a horrible liar, but here I am, acting like what Brock said didn't punch me in the face.

By then we had arrived. Brock registered us and we sat down to eat. I munched on a rice ball, thinking of how I could get the twerp to leave his bag at the table. _I could... No. Maybe he'll have to go the the men's room soon. Fifty-fifty chance. With my luck, it's a lot less. Oh! I've got it!_

I tried to drink as much water as possible without drinking the entire think in one sip. I had to space the times when I took a sip, otherwise Brock would get suspicious. I learned that a while back.

Once Brock had noticed how low I was on my drink, he immediately jumped up. "I'll refill that for you, Sarah! Is it okay if I leave my bag here?"

I smiled, though for a different reason than he would think. "Of course. Thank you so much."

He grabbed the cup and walked over to the counter. There was a long line there. Leave it to Neon City to be urbanized.

I carefully unzipped the bag, finding three Pokéballs in it. _He has an Onix, a Geodude, and a Vulpix._

I put the Pokéballs in my pretend purse and quickly zipped it back up and put the backpack where it had been before . I made sure it was right where he left it.

 _I'm a master thief._

* * *

Brock came back from the buffet and walked himself to the campsite that he and his friends had made just outside of town.

"Hey, guys."

Ash waved, and Misty greeted him with a sigh. "Hi."

"Something wrong?"

Ash groaned. "I'm tired of camping! All the hotels are taken. I need a soft, warm bed, but this town is too overpopulated that I can't find a place to sleep!"

"You mean urbanized. And I agree. I can't take much more of waking up with twigs in my hair," Brock responded.

"Or leaves," Misty added.

"Togepi!" the little Pokémon squeaked.

"But what I'm mostly worried about is Team Rocket," Misty said.

"Why should we be worried? They haven't bothered us since we've gotten to Neon City, and even before that."

"That's _exactly_ why we should be worried, Ash!" Misty shouted. "We haven't heard from them since that incident in the forest!"

"Misty's right," Brock growled. "Maybe they're planning something big."

"But hey, we can escape with our plane tickets though, right?"

"Yeah, of course we can. But they might follow us. We'd better prepare our Pokémon."

Ash nodded and unzipped his bag, grabbing his five Pokéballs and releasing his Pokémon. Misty did the same. Brock reached inside his bag. "Huh?" He fumbled around some more. "Oh, here they are!"

He threw three Pokéballs.

"Go, Onix, Vulpix, and Geodude!" The Pokéballs were still. "Huh?"

"I guess they don't want to come out," Misty said.

"But all three at once? That's not a coincidence. It can't be."

Ash turned to Pikachu. "Pikachu, use your thunderbolt attack and get them out."

"No!" Brock yelled. "I'll lure them out with Pokémon food first. Then, if that doesn't work, we'll try thunderbolt.

Ash murmured an agreement.

Brock set out some of his special Pokémon food, expecting them to be drawn out, but none of them appeared. Brock sighed and put the food away. "Pikachu, you know what to do."

"Pika..." He stepped up in front of the three Pokéballs. "CHUUUUUU!" The shock electrified the Pokéballs, but Pokémon inside still didn't come out. However, one opened.

"Wait a second..." Brock picked one up. "These are just regular Pokéballs. But I didn't have my Pokémon in my bag." He dropped the Pokéball, rushing over to his bag. "Oh, what kind of trainer am I? I lost my Pokémon!"

"You didn't lose them," Misty realized. "Sarah must've stolen them. Did you ever leave her alone with your bag?"

"Well, yes, but..."

"Then it's settled! We'll go to Nurse Joy and demand to see her assistant."

Brock groaned. "She was so nice, though. And so beautiful."

"Looks aren't everything, Brock," Misty snorted. "Now come on!"

* * *

"I think I laughed harder than I've ever laughed before!"

"I think so, too!"

"Brock is a total idiot! I can't believe he fell for you!"

"Imagine that he asked for a second date!"

"Nurse Joy will be so confused when he asks about her assistant!" Me and Jessie just kept laughing and laughing.

"That little twerp wasn't even there to ruin our plans again! Just wait until The Boss sees the Onix!"

"And the Vulpix!"

"And the Geodude! Well, maybe not the Geodude, but still!" Jessie bounced up and down.

"We may finally get some respect out of The Boss!" I cheered.

"We just have to get to Viridian City."

"Let's hope that's where Ash and Misty and Brock decide to go."

"On the plane? Of course they'll go. Unless they're still set on Cinnabar Island."

"Maybe we'll just have to come up with something to draw them to Viridian."

"Something extraordinary!"

"Something truly outrageous!"

"SOMETHING UTTERLY STUPID!"

We both turned, gasping. It was The Boss!

* * *

 **Haha, cliffhanger! :3**

 **Anonymous1O1- Thanks for the warning. I wasn't aware. I'm glad that you like the story! There will be more relationship-wise things in the next chapter, though. Sorry I couldn't add much during this one.**


	3. Chapter 3

"Boss! What are you doing in Neon City?"

The Boss clenched his fists. "I told you two ignoramuses that I'd arrive here yesterday to come and see the Pokémon you got!"

I scratched my head, turning to Jessie. "Oh yeah, he did say that, didn't he?" she said.

I nodded. "Guess we forgot. Sorry, Boss," I apoligized. Jessie had the Pokéballs on the desk in our hotel room. She walked over and picked them up. "Are these what you're looking for? We got an Onix, a Vulpix, a Golem, and a Geodude."

The Boss smirked. "Nice work. Looks like you aren't totally useless after all." He grabbed three Pokéballs. "You can keep the Geodude. The rest are mine."

Jessie nodded and I just watched as The Boss walked out the door.

"Well, that went _much_ better than any other time we've tricked the twerps," I commented.

"Mhm," Jessie agreed. "The Boss may just give us a raise on our next paycheck."

I giggled at the thought. "Well, Jess, we really scored this time. I just have one question."

"What's that?"

"Who gets to keep the Geodude?"

* * *

Ash, Misty, and Brock had tried almost everywhere in town, but Team Rocket was nowhere to be found.

"They must've already left the city," Brock cried.

"We haven't checked everywhere yet," Ash reassured him. "They might still be here. Like, maybe in one of the hotel rooms!"

"ALL THE HOTELS ARE FULL, YOU IDIOT!" Misty screeched, slapping him.

"Geez, my apologies," Ash groaned, rubbing his hand against his face.

"If we sneak into the hotels when the receptionists are on break, we may have a chance."

"That's too risky, Brock," Misty sighed.

"What if we dressed up and said it was our turn to take shift?" Ash suggested.

"Wow. That's the only good idea you've had in ages, Ash."

Ash groaned and dropped to the floor, before quickly getting up again. "Well, first thing's first. We need costumes!"

* * *

"Geodude is worthless," I scoffed. "We might as well just give it back to the twerp trio."

James looked thoughtful. "But Geodude _is_ a strong Pokémon."

"True, but what if it sees its old master in battle and turns to his side?" I countered.

"Good point. We _should_ just give it back to them. It won't do us any harm. The Boss didn't want it anyways."

"I agree, let's go."

"But how will we find them?"

"Simple. Put on purposely terrible costumes and hope they spot us," I responded.

"Oh." James' eyes sparkled, looking hopeful. "It might be worth a shot."

"Or we could just wait at that other place where we first saw them," I thought out loud. "Or maybe we could try and find that camp that they made just outside of town."

"We'll do all three."

"First up is their camp."

* * *

"We've been looking for hours, and I'm starving," Ash groaned.

Brock turned in the direction of their camp. "I had sandwich supplies ready for when we came back for lunch. Let's go."

Ash was glad to race his friends to the camp. "I bet I get there first!" he challenged.

"I'd agree. You're _way_ too eager about filling your empty belly that I wouldn't dare bet anything on you losing a race to get food."

Misty nodded in agreement with Brock. "Why don't we just see how fast we can get there together?" she suggested.

"Oh, alright." Ash looked slightly disappointed, but in the end he was glad to finally get some food. But little did he know what surprise awaited him when he should arrive.

"Team Rocket?!"

"What are you doing at our camp?!" Misty challenged.

"And what have you done with my Pokémon?" Brock asked. "It must've been you! I knew the pink hair seemed familiar."

"Well, well, well, Jess, looks like we have a few angry campers."

Ash growled. "How dare you steal Brock's Pokémon and then come to camp, searching for ours?!"

The pair burst into laughter. "They actually think _that's_ why we're here?" James chuckled.

"I told you how idiotic they were," Jessie giggled.

Ash and the others did not find this funny. "Give me back my Pokémon!" Brock roared.

Jessie giggled, tossing a Pokéball in the air and catching it, repeating this as she spoke. "That's exactly what we came here to do."

She tossed the Pokéball to Brock. "Go ahead. Try it. We're not lying."

Brock grunted. "Pokéball, go!" He threw it to the ground and it opened, letting out...

"Weezing."

"Weezing? I don't own a Weezing!"

Jessie fumbled around, laughing nervously before grabbing James by the collar of his shirt. "DID YOU EVEN GRAB THE RIGHT POKÉBALL?"

"I-I'm sure I did." James rummaged around in his pocket, some bottle caps spilling out, until he reached back up, a Pokéball in hand. "There it is."

He snatched Weezing's Pokéball from Brock and replaced it with the other Pokéball, standing back beside Jessie and recalling Weezing. Brock growled. "This better be the right Pokémon."

He tossed it. "Pokéball, go!"

Out came Geodude. "Dude. Dude. Geodude."

"Geodude, return!"

"Dude."

Brock stuffed the Pokéball in his pocket, "What about my other Pokémon?"

"Sorry, but we already gave them to The Boss," Jessie smirked. "And unless you have the nerve to challenge Giovanni himself, I'm afraid your Pokémon will never return."

"The Boss?" Ash repeated.

"You mean, you work for somebody? You don't just do this for youselves?" Misty asked.

"How do you think we get money?" Jessie sneered.

Ash shrunk. "James' parents are rich?"

"You expect me to go back there after what Jessiebelle almost did to me?!" James looked horrified.

Jessie pet his shoulder. "Jessiebelle will pay for what she almost did to you, James. I can assure you of that."

"What did Jessiebelle almost do to James?" Ash asked.

Mist face-palmed. "You won't understand."

Ash crossed his arms with a growl.

James whispered something inaudible to Jessie, and the female giggled.

While Ash begged Misty and Brock to tell him what it was, the members of Team Rocket snuck up behind Ash, grabbing Pikachu and covering his mouth. Surprisingly, Ash and the others didn't notice.

The duo placed Pikachu in an electric-resistant glass container, laughing when he tried to shock them.

"Pika! Pi!"

"Hahahaha. You're wasting your energy. We've made an electric resistant container for you."

"Who knew a simple argument would be enough to get away with stealing Pikachu?"

 _"Hey! Give me back my Pikachu!"_

* * *

"Ugh." _The twerp noticed us._

I grabbed the container before James could, just as Ash sent his Pidgeotto flying towards us.

"And they're going to pop the balloon," I sighed.

"And then we're going to shoot to the stars and land in some awful place," James continued.

"What else is new?"

Pidgeotto, as predicted, pecked a hole in the hot air balloon, grabbed Pikachu, and flew back to the twerps.

"We're in for a bad landing this time," I grumbled. And, just to keep tradition, on cue, we both yelled out, "Team Rocket's blasting off again!"

Although this time neither of us sounded as enthusiastic as we usually did. _I wonder why,_ I thought as we crashed into a forest.

"Where are we this time?" James asked, rubbing his head. I climbed down.

"Looks like a forest to me."

"I wonder which route we're on."

"No idea, but now we've got a head start on the twerps. Let's go!"

* * *

 **Finally, yes, I know., it took thirty thousand centuries, but here it is.**


	4. Chapter 4

I looked up. Jessie and I had returned to the shack, and after a while, Meowth had joined us. Now, I was sitting outside, awaiting the arrival of the mailman. And here he was, right on time.

"Daily newspaper as always, James." He tipped his hat to me.

I smiled and took the paper from him. We weren't too close, but showed genuine kindness towards each other. Jessie, for some reason, didn't like it. She thought it was inhumane to talk to a stranger like we had been long-time friends. "He's not a stranger," I had replied. "He's an acquaintance."

Jessie had rolled her eyes, but hadn't said anything back.

That was three weeks ago. Things were so boring in this place that it wasn't even hard to remember every single conversation I had with either Jessie or Meowth, or even _when_ I had the conversations.

I set the newspaper on the table, prepared to read it, then decided not to. "I'll wait to read it with Jessie," I murmured, walking over to our shared bedroom.

Inside there were two fairly small beds, one on one side of the room and the second on the other side. Inbetween the beds, there was a desk with a large mirror on it, and a chair that Jessie was currently sitting in.

I flopped down onto my bed with a sigh. "Hey, Jess."

"Hey, James."

We didn't say anything for a while, until a thought crossed my mind. "Have you ever wondered what it would be like if..." I trailed off, not wanting to finish the question. _Have you ever wondered what it would be like if we were together?_

Jessie turned her head to face me. "If what?"

"Nevermind," I murmured. "It's stupid."

"Tell me when your questions stop getting stupid," she joked. But I wasn't in the mood to laugh. I only sighed, turning away from her. _Maybe I'll stop wondering some day. But how can I ever get over her?_

* * *

I frowned. James never rejected a joke. Especially a good one like that.

Yet there he was, just sighing and turning away. "James, is something bothering you?"

He didn't reply.

"James, come on. It's not like you to reject a joke."

Still nothing.

"James, if you don't answer me, I'm going to-"

 _"I said it's nothing!"_ I blinked, startled as he rushed past me and out of the room.

I didn't try to stop him. James never did something like that. He never yelled when I pushed him to say something. I usually got him to say what he was going to say, yet this time was different. _But why?_

* * *

I felt bad after leaving Jessie like that. But she couldn't find out. She just couldn't.

I don't even know what she'd say. I don't even know what _I'd_ say. How could I ever muster up enough courage to tell her how I really felt? And how would she react?

 _We're teammates._ She would reject me, no doubts about it.

I buried my face in my hand, feeling the tears come. I heard a creak as the door opened, but did not bother looking to see who it was.

"James, you okay?"

Recognizing the one-of-a-kind voice of Meowth, I turned my head.

I darted up and grabbed his shoulders. "No, I'm not okay!" I wailed. "I'm not okay and I never will be!"

I shrunk down, sobbing. Meowth patted my shoulder. "Why don't you tell me what's wrong and I can fix it?"

Staring up at him, I felt tiny. "Promise not to tell?"

Meowth's eyes sparkled. "You mean, like a secret?"

"Just between us."

"I promise!" Meowth looked dazzled.

"Well, you see, the problem is... Well... I sort of, kind of, uh..." I couldn't find the right words.

Meowth patted me again. "Come on. You'll feel better once you get it off your chest."

 _"I'm in love with Jessie!"_ It all came rushing out at once. Meowth was wrong. I felt worse after "getting it off my chest".

The young Pokemon stared at me like I'd grown an extra head. "And all she ever does is reject me!" I continued. "My hopes of being with her are ruined because she doesn't love me like I love her!"

Meowth blinked. "Well, I can't fix that. But I might be able to do something to make her like you back."

I sniffled. "Really?"

"Of course! After all you two have done for me? It's the least I can do, James."

I hugged him. "Oh, thank you so much, Meowth!"

"Anything for my best pal."

I grinned. Now, I might actually have a shot at winning Jessie over!


	5. Chapter 5

**Near the end of the story, I was typing this at school and I couldn't be watching the episode at the same time, so I had to improv by memory. Sorry about that.**

* * *

James and I haven't spoken since what happened. It had been an hour already.

I sighed, grabbing the newspaper off of the table and sitting down.

 _ **The Great Fossil Rush**_ , it read.

 _Where people from all over Kantos gather to uncover mysterious, undiscovered fossils in Grampa Canyon._

I smirked. Just what we needed! A plan forming in my head, I went outside to where Meowth and James were sitting. I knew I shouldn't bother them, but we had two hours before the G.F.R started.

"James! Meowth! Get your hides in here and take a look at the paper!"

I rushed back inside, awaiting their arrival. After a moment, they both walked in.

I read the article aloud to them, brimming with excitement. James' eyes lit up, and Meowth gasped, instantly grabbing the paper from my hands. "Lemme see! Lemme see!"

I rolled my eyes and stood beside James, arms crossed, as Meowth read it aloud, then reread it in his head. "Grampa Canyon? Do you know where that's at?"

James nodded. "I used to go fossil-hunting there with Growlie."

I smiled. "And I have a plan! I know exactly where we can get some dynamite, and we can blow up the whole canyon and get as many fossils as we can carry and more!"

James and Meowth nodded, eyes shining.

"Just think of it!" the Pokemon purred. "The Boss will love us. And we'll be rich! So much money."

I giggled. Just the thought of getting extra money made me happy. "Then let's go! We've got no time to waste."

* * *

Ash, Misty, and Brock had all arrived at Grampa Canyon. Ash was the first to notice the line of people marching, pickaxes or shovels or some other kind of tool in their hands.

"What's going on down there?"

Other people had backpacks, Ash realized. "I wonder what they're doing with those picks and shovels," he murmured.

"Don't you know anything?" a voice taunted from behind. The trio turned around, gasping at the sudden arrival. Gary!

"Ash, not only late as usual, but clueless, too."

The trainer stared at Gary. He looked like an archaeologist. He was wearing a brown fedora, a tan collared shirt with a brown vest over it, and tan pants, too. He also had bags on either side of his waist. "Why are you dressed like that?"

"Humph. Don't tell me you never heard about the Pokemon Discovery. Even a nerd like you shoulda heard about the Great Fossil Rush."

"The Great Fossil Rush?" all three asked at the same time.

Gary groaned, face-palming. "I gotta go. I need to find all the fossils before everyone else does." He turned to Ash. "I can't waste my precious time hangin' around with a loser like you." He raced away, and Misty and Brock pulled Ash away before he could follow him.

 _"Loser?!"_ Ash roared. _"That know-it-all!"_

He broke away from his friends and turned to face them. "I'm going to find all the fossils before Gary even starts digging them. That'll show him who's the real loser." Brock groaned and Misty rolled her eyes.

"Typical Ash."

* * *

Jessie and I had still barely spoken. It wasn't like her to be this quiet. But it wasn't like me, either. I stared at Jessie as she worked to set up the dynamite. She looked as gorgeous as she always did.

Jessie set her hand on the rope. Hesitantly, I set mine on top of hers. She looked up at me. "I'm sorry I snapped at you earlier, Jess," I murmured.

She smiled at me. "I forgive you. I'm sorry I pushed you so hard. I promise I won't do it again."

I heard my heartbeat in my ears. _Should I?_

I leaned closer. My heart skipped a beat as I noticed that she did the same. I felt the butterflies rising in my chest, about to burst...

 _"What is takin' those two so long?"_

Jessie looked up and cleared her throat. "That was Meowth. We'd better get going." I tried not to notice the blush growing on my face.

We burst out from behind the rock together. "Ta-da!"

"Prepare for trouble!" Jessie darted onto the rock.

"And make it double!" I jumped up after her, and we sat back-to-back. I pulled my rose out of my pocket and held it to my mouth.

"To protect the world from devastation."

"To unite all peoples within our nation."

"To denounce the evils of truth and love."

"To extend our reach to the stars above."

"Jessie!"

"James."

"Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare to- Ow!" I rubbed my head as Meowth deliberately whacked it with a mallet.

Jessie yowled as he did the same to her.

"Cut the poetry! I bet you two clowns didn't even plant the dynamite like you were supposed to!"

Jessie grabbed the mallet from Meowth's hand and smacked him into the cliff wall. "Wrong again, furball!" Rocks clashed on top of him and he groaned.

"Of course we planted the dynamite," Jessie growled.

"Once we blow up Grampa Canyon to smithereens, we'll be able to scoop up all those Pokefossils!" James cheered.

Meowth rose from the rock pile, seething with anger. _"I'll make fossils out of you!"_

He grunted, then shook himself. "Jessie, you got the lighter?"

The woman fumbled around her pocket for moment, then her hand came back up, grasping what looked like a tiny silver flask. Meowth smiled and took it from her, grabbing hold of the rope and setting fire to it. "Soon we'll have all the Pokemon fossils all to ourselves!"

 _"Hold it right there!"_

Jessie, Meowth and I turned. I clenched my fist. "It's that pest again!"

"Always messing up our plans!" Jessie snarled.

"But this time you're too late," Meowth beamed. "The fuse is already lit."

Ash gasped, grabbing a Pokeball and throwing it out. "Squirtle, water gun that fuse! Fast! There's no time to lose!"

"Squirtle, squirt!" He spewed water out of his mouth, missing the flame by an inch.

The flame burned the rope, disappearing behind the slope.

"Squirtle, after it!"

Jessie and I raced after him, not bothering to take time using our Pokemon.

"Get him!"

"Hurry up!"

We chased the twerp and his Squirtle all the way down to the very source.

"Agh!" Ash shouted. "We're too late!"

Jessie laughed. "What did we tell you, twerp? We're going to blow up this canyon, and there's nothing you can do abou-"

 ** _Boom!_**

A large hole exploded, and Jessie, James, Meowth, and Ash all fell in, screaming with terror.

I grabbed Jessie and pulled her close to me, scared for my life. Jessie stared into my eyes, and I fought back a smile. We were plummetting to our death! This was no time to be happy.

Jessie's nails dug into my skin, but I didn't care. For all I knew, we were dead. I felt a searing pain as we finally crashed to the ground. And then my vision blurred, and everything was suddenly gone.


End file.
